The key facts recruiters and clients look for in a CV

30th June 2017

Most business decisions are based on hard cold facts, and hiring decisions are no different. If an organisation is going to invest time and money into employing you; they will need to see evidence that you can perform. Whilst clichés and buzzwords do nothing to impress recruiters or clients, many candidates do not fully understand which facts are sought in a CV. When writing your role descriptions in particular; you should put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes and think about the evidence you would require to make an informed hiring decision. Including the following details in your CV’s role descriptions will provide clarity to recruiters and clients and support the case for interviewing and eventually hiring you.

Your position in the hierarchy

If a hiring manager is going to bring you on board, then it’s crucial for them to understand where they can place you within their team. Whether you are sitting at the top of the pile and overseeing largescale operations; leading a small team or working independently with nobody under your management; you need to make your position clear. Be sure to describe who you report to, whether you manage anybody and which people are dependent on you.

Who you interact with

Human interaction plays a vital role in the running of any organisation, so hiring managers will need to be satisfied that you are comfortable dealing with people. Most jobs will require you to interact with a wide range of individuals, so your CV should demonstrate you are capable of this. Show exactly who you interact with from customers and suppliers to management and external regulators; to prove your business-social abilities. Evidence that you can build strong working relationships, and use them to create beneficial outcomes for your employers.

Technology expertise

Technology is used in every line of work; from computer based tools like programming languages and accountancy software, through to hardware such as production machinery and vehicles. Most roles will require some working knowledge of one or more tools, so employers will be keen to understand your ability to use their core systems and hardware. So whether you’re an expert coder or a sports car technician, it’s essential to detail the tools you are able to use and how you apply them within your roles.

Work Produced

The work that you produce will vary greatly depending on your industry. It could be anything from Excel reports or website pages, to physical products like mobile phones or even buildings. Whatever tangible work you produce within your own roles, include it within your CV and be clear on the volumes you have produced, quality of the work, and how valuable they are to your customers or internal dependents.

What your employer actually does

This may seem obvious, but a surprisingly few candidates include a sufficient explanation of their employers. Before you delve into the specifics of your roles, it’s important that the recruiter or client understands who you work for and what they do. Without building context around your role, it will be difficult for readers to fully understand your work. However the level of detail you need to include will vary depending on the organisation.

If you work for relatively small business, it’s less likely that recruiters will have heard of them; so you will need to provide a full explanation of the services they offer and markets they operate in. However if you work for a household brand then you will need to place more focus on describing the department you work in, and how it’s function contributes to the success of the wider business.

The objective of your roles

The most important aspect that recruiters and clients will want to know about your previous jobs, is what were you hired to do. It’s all well and good writing a detailed list of your daily activities, meetings and presentations; but without outlining the high level purpose of your role, nobody will understand what all your hard work was for. Every role should start with a clear objective statement so that readers can comprehend the bigger picture of your duties.

Numbers

Recruiters and clients will look for numbers in your CV as a means of quantifying your value to an employer. Figures can provide strong evidence of the return on investment that an employer can expect after hiring you. For example, if you can provide some statistics around revenue that you’ve generated for a firm, or the value of a project you have supported, they are a great way to demonstrate your value. But the figures do not always have to be monetary; you can include figures such as; percentages of targets achieved or time taken to deliver a piece of work.

By including some of the facts above in your own CV role descriptions, you will prove your worth and greatly increase your chances of landing job interviews.